Nautical expressions for managers (5 copies)

Since the classic ‘age of sail’, there has been a constant growth in maritime shipping and trading. Furthermore, the love of the sea and the international trading spirit are anchored in many English nautical proverbs which are still in regular use today.
More than 250 proverbs, expressions and sayings with their origin are explained!

Nautical expressions like do you have to choose between the devil and deep blue see? Dutch courage? And how is it with your blind eye?

The ‘age of sail’, from the 16th to the mid-19th cen- tury, was a time of great sailing ships and proved to be one of the main drivers behind the growth of international trade and the development of the world’s economy. Shipping enhanced the ability to move raw materials and products more easily and on a larger scale, and also accelerated the exchange of ideas between entrepreneurs. And still today, al- most 90 per cent of the world’s trade is carried out through shipping. For much of this age, Great Britain had a fleet and a navy of a size befitting a much larger nation. Nearly everybody knew somebody in the service, or had a relative who had sailed in some capacity. As a result, this nautical knowledge regarding management at sea accumulated over the centuries and became en- shrined in numerous English nautical proverbs and sayings. These proverbs and sayings are the result of the experiences of everyday life and give a short and powerful comment on a particular situation. They then be- come common property because others repeat them and this has resulted in about three hundred proverbs, sayings and expressions that, etymologically, can be attributed to the nautical world.

This booklet brings to life more than two hundred and fifty “classic age of sale” proverbs, sayings and expressions for today’s managers. After all, the challenges that people had to overcome at sea in those days still hold true for today’s captains of industry. It covers topics such as leadership, strategy, commerce, management, personnel, and finance, all with a nautical flavour. After reading this book, managers will be able to clear the decks, set a new course, and make significant new headway!

There are many sites that present nautical expressions for example see here. See for some expressions from this book here.